2002–03 United States network television schedule explained

The following is the 2002–03 network television schedule for the six major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 2002 through June 2003. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series cancelled after the 2001–02 season. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football.

New series are highlighted in bold.

Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.^[1]

Yellow indicates the programs in the top 10 for the season.

Cyan indicates the programs in the top 20 for the season.

Magenta indicates the programs in the top 30 for the season.Other Legend

• Light blue indicates local programming.
• Gray indicates encore programming.
• Blue-gray indicates news programming.
• Light green indicates sporting events.
• Light Purple indicates movies.
• Red indicates series being burned off and other scheduled programs, including specials.

PBS is not included; member stations have local flexibility over most of their schedules and broadcast times for network shows may vary. Also not included are stations affiliated with Pax TV, as its schedule is composed mainly of syndicated reruns although it also carried a limited schedule of first-run programs.

Sunday

Network		7:00 p.m.	7:30 p.m.	8:00 p.m.	8:30 p.m.	9:00 p.m.	9:30 p.m.	10:00 p.m.	10:30 p.m.
ABC	Fall	The Wonderful World of Disney				Alias		The Practice
	Winter							L.A. Dragnet
	Spring							The Practice
CBS	Fall	60 Minutes		Becker	Bram & Alice	CBS Sunday Movie
	Mid-fall				Various programming
	Winter			My Big Fat Greek Life	Becker
	Summer			Without a Trace
Fox	Fall	MLB on Fox
	Mid-fall	Futurama	The Simpsons	The Simpsons	King of the Hill	Malcolm in the Middle	Malcolm in the Middle	Local programming
	Late fall		King of the Hill				Andy Richter Controls the Universe
	Winter				The Simpsons		Malcolm in the Middle
	Spring				Oliver Beene		The Pitts
	Mid-spring	King of the Hill			The Simpsons		Oliver Beene
	Late spring	Futurama			King of the Hill
	Summer				Banzai	Malcolm in the Middle
	Mid-summer		Banzai		King of the Hill
NBC	Fall	Dateline Sunday		American Dreams				Boomtown
	Winter							Kingpin
	Spring							Boomtown
	Late spring	Dateline Sunday						Law & Order: Crime & Punishment
	Summer							The Restaurant
	Mid-summer	Dateline Sunday		American Dreams
The WB	Fall	Gilmore Girls		Charmed		Angel		Local programming
	Winter					High School Reunion
	Spring					Black Sash
	Mid-spring					Charmed
	Summer					Boarding House: North Shore
	Mid-summer			Charmed

NOTE: Fox was to have aired Oliver Beene and The Grubbs on Sundays at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., respectively, but instead made last-minute changes by postponing Oliver Beene to the following spring and canceling The Grubbs. In their places, King of the Hill and reruns of Malcolm in the Middle were slotted.

Monday

Network		8:00 PM	8:30 PM	9:00 PM	9:30 PM	10:00 PM	10:30 PM
ABC	Fall	The Drew Carey Show	Whose Line Is It Anyway?	NFL Monday Showcase	Monday Night Football
	Mid-fall	Special programming
	Late fall	Monk
	Winter			The Practice		Miracles
	Late winter	ABC News programming
	Spring					The Practice
	Late spring	Various programming				Primetime Live: Special Edition
	Summer	ABC Sports programming
CBS	Fall	The King of Queens	Yes, Dear	Everybody Loves Raymond	Still Standing
	Summer	Yes, Dear	Still Standing		The King of Queens
Fox	Fall	Special programming				Local programming
	Mid-fall	Boston Public		Special programming
	Winter			Joe Millionaire
	Late winter			Married by America
	Spring			Mr. Personality
	Summer	Anything for Love	Stupid Behavior Caught on Tape	Paradise Hotel
	Mid-summer	The O.C.
NBC	Fall	Fear Factor		Third Watch		Crossing Jordan
	Summer			For Love or Money		Who Wants to Marry My Dad?
UPN		The Parkers	One on One	Girlfriends	Half & Half	Local programming
The WB	Fall	7th Heaven		Everwood
	Summer	7th Heaven

Tuesday

Network		8:00 PM	8:30 PM	9:00 PM	9:30 PM	10:00 PM	10:30 PM
ABC	Fall	8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter	According to Jim	Life with Bonnie	Less than Perfect	NYPD Blue (#29/7.8)
	Spring			According to Jim	Lost at Home
	Follow Up				Less than Perfect
	Summer		8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter
	Mid-Summer		Life with Bonnie
CBS	Fall	JAG (#22/8.9)		The Guardian (#27/8.3)		Judging Amy (#18/9.5)
	Mid-Summer	Big Brother		Cupid
Fox	Fall	That '70s Show	Grounded for Life	Various Specials		Local Programming
	Follow Up	MLB on FOX
	Late Fall	That '70s Show	That '70s Show (Repeats)	24		Local Programming
	December		Andy Richter Controls the Universe
	Winter	American Idol (#5/12.6)
	Summer	American Juniors		Keen Eddie
	Mid-Summer			The O.C.
	Late Summer	Performing As...
NBC	Fall	Just Shoot Me!	In-Laws	Frasier (#26/8.4)	Hidden Hills	Dateline NBC
	Winter	In-Laws	Just Shoot Me!		A.U.S.A.	Kingpin
	March	Let's Make a Deal				Dateline NBC
	Follow Up	Just Shoot Me!	Good Morning Miami		Watching Ellie
	Summer	Dog Eat Dog		Last Comic Standing
	Mid-Summer
UPN	Fall	Buffy the Vampire Slayer		Haunted		Local Programming
	November			Girlfriends (Repeats)	Various Comedy Encores
	Winter			Abby	Girlfriends (Repeats)
	March			Various Comedy & Drama Encores
	Spring			Platinum
	Follow Up			America's Next Top Model
	Summer	America's Next Top Model (Repeats)
	Mid-Summer	One on One	Abby	Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The WB		Gilmore Girls		Smallville

NOTE: Grounded for Life was also originally scheduled to run on Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on Fox, but it was pulled after two new episodes in September, and one in early December. The show moved to The WB in the spring in 2003.

Wednesday

Network		8:00 PM	8:30 PM	9:00 PM	9:30 PM	10:00 PM	10:30 PM
ABC	Fall	My Wife & Kids	George Lopez	The Bachelor (#16/9.9)		MDs
	Follow Up					Various ABC News Programs
	December			Extreme Makeover
	January			The Bachelor / The Bachelorette (#16/9.9)		The Mole
	Mid-February			I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!		Various Specials
	Spring			The Bachelor / The Bachelorette (#16/9.9)		All American Girl
	Late April					Extreme Makeover
	Summer			The Drew Carey Show	The Drew Carey Show	The Dating Experiment
	August			The Real Roseanne Show		The Family
	Follow Up			George Lopez	The Drew Carey Show
CBS	Fall	60 Minutes II		The Amazing Race		Presidio Med
	Winter	Star Search		60 Minutes II		48 Hours Investigates
	June	Various Specials
	Mid-Summer	60 Minutes II		Big Brother		Cupid
	Late summer					48 Hours Investigates
Fox	Fall	The Bernie Mac Show	Cedric the Entertainer Presents	Fastlane		Local Programming
	Winter	That '70s Show	American Idol (#6/12.5)	The Bernie Mac Show	Cedric the Entertainer Presents
	Spring		American Idol (#6/12.5)		Wanda at Large
	Follow Up		American Idol (#6/12.5)	The Bernie Mac Show
	Summer		American Juniors	Paradise Hotel
NBC	Fall	Ed		The West Wing (#21/9.0)		Law & Order (#9/11.7)
	Spring	Dateline NBC
	Summer	Fame		Law & Order
	Mid-Summer	Race to the Altar		The West Wing (#21/9.0)
UPN				The Twilight Zone		Local Programming
The WB	Fall	Dawson's Creek		Birds of Prey
	Winter			Angel
	Summer	Boarding House: North Shore		The Jamie Kennedy Experiment	The Jamie Kennedy Experiment
	Mid-Summer	Smallville		Pepsi Smash

Thursday

Network		8:00 p.m.	8:30 p.m.	9:00 p.m.	9:30 p.m.	10:00 p.m.	10:30 p.m.
ABC	Fall	Monk		Push, Nevada		Primetime Thursday
	Late fall	Dinotopia		Special programming
	Winter	Special programming
	Mid-winter	Profiles from the Front Line		Are You Hot?: The Search for America's Sexiest People
	Spring	Special programming
	Mid-spring	NBA on ABC
	Late spring	ABC Thursday Night Movie				Primetime Thursday
	Summer	Various programming
CBS	Fall	Survivor				Without a Trace
	Winter	Star Search
	Mid-winter	Survivor
	Spring	The Amazing Race
Fox	Fall	MLB on Fox
	Mid-fall	30 Seconds to Fame		Special programming		Local programming
	Late fall	Fox Thursday Night Movie
	Winter	Joe Millionaire		The Pulse
	Spring	Various programming
	Late spring	Stupid Behavior Caught on Tape	30 Seconds to Fame
	Summer	Various programming		Temptation Island
NBC	Fall	Friends	Scrubs	Will & Grace	Good Morning, Miami	ER
	Spring				Frasier
UPN		WWE Thursday Night SmackDown!				Local programming
The WB	Fall	Family Affair	Do Over	The Jamie Kennedy Experiment	Off Centre
	Late fall				The Jamie Kennedy Experiment
	Winter	High School Reunion (Repeats)		The Surreal Life	The Jamie Kennedy Experiment
	Late winter	Sabrina the Teenage Witch	Family Affair	The Jamie Kennedy Experiment
	Spring		Various programming	The Jamie Kennedy Experiment	On the Spot
	Mid-spring	The WB Thursday Night Movie
	Late spring	Various programming	The O'Keefes	The Jamie Kennedy Experiment
	Summer	The WB Thursday Night Movie

NOTE: Movies, baseball games, reruns, and specials comprised most of the programming Thursday nights on Fox. Septuplets was supposed to air at 9-10, but it was cancelled at the last minute.

Friday

Network		8:00 PM	8:30 PM	9:00 PM	9:30 PM	10:00 PM	10:30 PM
ABC	Fall	America's Funniest Home Videos		Various programming		20/20
	Mid-fall			Whose Line Is It Anyway?	The Drew Carey Show
	Spring			8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter	Regular Joe
	Mid-spring			America's Funniest Home Videos
	Summer			Whose Line Is It Anyway?
CBS	Fall	48 Hours		Hack		Robbery Homicide Division
	Late fall					Special programming
	Winter	Star Search				48 Hours
	Spring	Baby Bob	Yes, Dear
	Summer	Big Brother		JAG
Fox	Fall	Firefly		John Doe		Local programming
	Winter	Fastlane
	Summer	The Bernie Mac Show	Wanda at Large	Boston Public
NBC	Fall	Providence		Dateline Friday
	Winter	Mister Sterling
	Spring	America's Most Talented Kid		Ed
	Mid-spring	Dateline Friday
UPN		UPN's Night at the Movies				Local programming
The WB	Fall	What I Like About You	Sabrina the Teenage Witch	Reba	Greetings from Tucson
	Winter				Grounded for Life
	Spring		Greetings from Tucson

Saturday

Network		8:00 p.m.	8:30 p.m.	9:00 p.m.	9:30 p.m.	10:00 p.m.	10:30 p.m.
ABC		ABC Saturday Movie of the Week
CBS		Touched by an Angel		The District		The Agency
Fox		COPS	COPS	America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back		Local programming
NBC	Fall	NBC Saturday Night Movie
	Winter	Law & Order
	Spring	Hunter		Law & Order
	Late spring	NBC Saturday Night Movie
	Summer	Just Shoot Me!		NBC Saturday Night Movie

By network

ABC

Returning series

• 20/20
• ABC Saturday Movie of the Week
• ABC Thursday Night Movie
• According to Jim
• Alias
• America's Funniest Home Videos
• The Bachelor
• The Drew Carey Show
• George Lopez
• The Mole
• Monday Night Football
• Monk
• My Wife and Kids
• NYPD Blue
• The Practice
• Primetime
• Whose Line is it Anyway?
• The Wonderful World of Disney

New series

• 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter
• Are You Hot?: The Search for America's Sexiest People *
• The Bachelorette
• The Dating Experiment *
• Dinotopia
• Extreme Makeover *
• The Family *
• I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here *
• L.A. Dragnet *
• Less than Perfect
• Life with Bonnie
• Lost at Home *
• MDs
• Miracles
• Profiles from the Front Line *
• Push, Nevada
• The Real Roseanne Show *
• Regular Joe *
• That Was Then
• *

Not returning from 2001–02:

• ABC Big Picture Show
• The ABC Monday Night Movie
• Bob Patterson
• The Chair
• The Court
• Dharma & Greg
• Houston Medical
• The Job
• Once and Again
• Philly
• Spin City
• Thieves
• Vanished
• The Wayne Brady Show
• What About Joan?
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
• Widows

CBS

Returning series

• 48 Hours
• 60 Minutes
• 60 Minutes II
• The Agency
• The Amazing Race
• Baby Bob
• Becker
• Big Brother
• CBS Sunday Movie
• The District
• Everybody Loves Raymond
• The Guardian
• JAG
• Judging Amy
• The King of Queens
• Survivor
• Touched by an Angel
• Yes, Dear

New series

• Bram & Alice
• Charlie Lawrence *
• Hack
• My Big Fat Greek Life *
• Presidio Med
• Queens Supreme *
• Robbery Homicide Division
• Star Search *
• Still Standing
• Without a Trace

Not returning from 2001–02:

• Citizen Baines
• Danny
• The Education of Max Bickford
• The Ellen Show
• Family Law
• First Monday
• That's Life
• Wolf Lake

Fox

Returning series

• 24
• 30 Seconds to Fame
• American Idol
• America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back
• Andy Richter Controls the Universe
• The Bernie Mac Show
• Boston Public
• Cops
• Fox Thursday Night Movie
• Futurama
• King of the Hill
• Malcolm in the Middle
• The Simpsons
• Temptation Island
• That '70s Show
• Totally Outrageous Behavior

New series

• American Juniors *
• Anything for Love *
• Banzai! *
• Cedric the Entertainer Presents
• Fastlane
• Firefly
• Girls Club
• Joe Millionaire *
• John Doe
• Keen Eddie *
• Married by America *
• Mr. Personality *
• Oliver Beene *
• Paradise Hotel *
• Performing As... *
• The Pitts *
• Stupid Behavior Caught on Tape *
• Wanda at Large *

Not returning from 2001–02:

• Ally McBeal
• The American Embassy
• The Chamber
• Dark Angel
• Family Guy (returned for 2004-05)
• Greg the Bunny
• Grounded for Life (moved to The WB)
• Guinness World Records Primetime
• Love Cruise
• Pasadena
• That '80s Show
• The Tick
• Titus
• Undeclared
• World's Wildest Police Videos
• The X-Files (returned for 2015-16)

NBC

Returning series

• Crossing Jordan
• Dateline NBC
• Dog Eat Dog
• Ed
• ER
• Fear Factor
• Frasier
• Friends
• Just Shoot Me!
• Law & Order
• Meet My Folks
• Providence
• Scrubs
• Third Watch
• Watching Ellie
• The West Wing
• Will & Grace

New series

• America's Most Talented Kid *
• American Dreams
• A.U.S.A. *
• Boomtown
• Fame *
• Good Morning, Miami
• For Love or Money *
• Hidden Hills
• In-Laws
• Kingpin *
• Last Comic Standing *
• Mister Sterling *
• Race to the Altar *
• The Restaurant *
• Who Wants to Marry My Dad? *

Not returning from 2001–02:

• Emeril
• Imagine That
• Inside Schwartz
• Leap of Faith
• Lost
• The Rerun Show
• Spy TV
• Three Sisters
• The Weakest Link (returned for 2020-21)

UPN

Returning series

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Girlfriends
• One on One
• The Parkers
• UPN's Night at the Movies
• WWE SmackDown!

New series

• Abby *
• America's Next Top Model *
• Half & Half
• Haunted
• Platinum *
• The Twilight Zone

Not returning from 2001–02:

• As If
• The Hughleys
• The Random Years
• Roswell
• Under One Roof

The WB

Returning series

• 7th Heaven
• Angel
• Charmed
• Dawson’s Creek
• Flix From the Frog
• Gilmore Girls
• Grounded for Life (moved from FOX)
• The Jamie Kennedy Experiment
• Off Centre
• Reba
• Sabrina the Teenage Witch
• Smallville

New series

• Birds of Prey
• Black Sash *
• Boarding House: North Shore *
• Do Over
• Everwood
• Family Affair
• Greetings from Tucson
• High School Reunion *
• The O'Keefes *
• On the Spot *
• Pepsi Smash *
• The Surreal Life *
• What I Like About You

Not returning from 2001–02:

• Elimidate Deluxe
• Felicity
• For Your Love
• Glory Days
• Maybe It's Me
• Men, Women & Dogs
• My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star
• Nikki
• Popstars USA
• Raising Dad
• Ripley's Believe It or Not!
• The Steve Harvey Show

Note: The * indicates that the program was introduced in midseason.

Renewals and cancellations

Renewals

ABC

• 8 Simple Rules—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• According to Jim—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Alias—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Dragnet—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• The Drew Carey Show—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• George Lopez—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Less than Perfect—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Life with Bonnie—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• My Wife and Kids—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• NYPD Blue—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• The Practice—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.

CBS

• Becker—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• —Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• —Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• The District—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Everybody Loves Raymond—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• The Guardian—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Hack—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• JAG—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Judging Amy—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• The King of Queens—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Still Standing—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Without a Trace—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Yes, Dear—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.

Fox

• 24—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• The Bernie Mac Show—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Boston Public—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Futurama
• King of the Hill—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Malcolm in the Middle—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Oliver Beene—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• The Simpsons—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• That '70s Show—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Wanda at Large—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.

NBC

• American Dreams—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Boomtown—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Crossing Jordan—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Ed—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• ER—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Frasier—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Friends—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Good Morning, Miami—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Law & Order—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• —Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• —Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Scrubs—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Third Watch—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• The West Wing—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Will & Grace—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.

UPN

• Girlfriends—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Half & Half—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• One on One—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• The Parkers—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• —Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.

The WB

• 7th Heaven—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Angel—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Charmed—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Everwood—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Gilmore Girls—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Grounded for Life—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Reba—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• Smallville—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.
• What I Like About You—Renewed for the 2003–2004 season.

Cancellations/series endings

ABC

• Lost at Home—Canceled after one season. Gregory Hines died on August 9, 2003, at the age of 57.
• MDs—Canceled after one season.
• Miracles—Canceled after one season.
• Regular Joe—Canceled after one season.
• That Was Then—Canceled after one season.

CBS

• The Agency—Canceled after two seasons.
• Baby Bob—Canceled after two seasons.
• Bram & Alice—Canceled after one season.
• Charlie Lawrence—Canceled after one season.
• My Big Fat Greek Life—Canceled after one season.
• Presidio Med—Canceled after one season.
• Queens Supreme—Canceled after one season.
• Robbery Homicide Division—Canceled after one season.
• Touched by an Angel—Ended after nine seasons.

Fox

• Andy Richter Controls the Universe—Canceled after two seasons.
• Fastlane—Canceled after one season.
• Firefly—Canceled after one season.
• Girls Club—Canceled after one season.
• John Doe—Canceled after one season.
• Keen Eddie—Canceled after one season.
• Paradise Hotel—Revived for the 2018–2019 season.
• The Pitts—Canceled after one season.
• Temptation Island—Moved to USA in 2019.

NBC

• A.U.S.A.—Canceled after one season.
• Hidden Hills—Canceled after one season.
• Hunter—Canceled after one season.
• In-Laws—Canceled after one season.
• Just Shoot Me!—Ended after seven seasons. The final 3 episodes of Just Shoot Me! aired in syndication from November 24, 2003, until November 26, 2003.
• Kingpin—Canceled after one season.
• Mister Sterling—Canceled after one season.
• Providence—Ended after five seasons.
• Watching Ellie—Canceled after two seasons.

UPN

• Abby—Canceled after one season.
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer—Ended after seven seasons.
• Haunted—Canceled after one season.
• Platinum—Canceled after one season.
• The Twilight Zone—Canceled after one season.

The WB

• Birds of Prey—Canceled after one season.
• Black Sash—Canceled after one season.
• Dawson's Creek—Ended after six seasons.
• Do Over—Canceled after one season.
• Family Affair—Canceled after one season.
• Greetings from Tucson—Canceled after one season.
• The O'Keefes—Canceled after one season.
• On the Spot—Canceled after one season.
• Off Centre—Canceled after two seasons.
• Sabrina the Teenage Witch—Ended after seven seasons.

Notes and References

1. Highest-rated series is based on the annual top-rated programs list compiled by Nielsen Media Research and reported in: Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (9th ed.). New York: Ballantine. .